Here’s one of the worst kept NFL secrets: The Miami Dolphins have had their eyes on offensive tackle Marc Colombo for years.

Marc Colombo watches as offensive linemen go at it?

Before Colombo re-signed with Dallas in 2008 the Trifecta planned to pursue him as a free agent. The Cowboys knew it, which is why they didn’t let him hit the free agent market.

That might not be surprising to anyone who knows how this regime works considering the Dolphins have been turned into Dallas south, picking up every other Cowboys castoff.

So when Colombo, a 10-year veteran who has started 75 of 95 NFL games, signed a deal with the Dolphins earlier this month it wasn’t too surprising. The team moved Vernon Carey to right guard to make room on the starting line for Tony Sparano’s former protege.

However, I was surprised to learn Colombo was only given a one-year deal that will pay him $2 million in 2011. And his contract didn’t include ANY signing bonus. However, $1 million of that salary is fully guaranteed, and there’s $500,000 in achievable incentives.

What does that mean? It means Colombo makes the 53, and a guy like Lydon Murtha or Nate Garner will have to absolutely dominate during the exhibition season to beat him out for the starting right tackle spot.

While Colombo’s contract might be minimal, it appears the Dolphins are all-in on Colombo for 2011. But what happens after that?

What about the future at the position. Can the Dolphins really bank on a 32-year-old starter, who coincidentally was rated by ProFootballFocus.com as one of the worst tackles last season (he was 76 out of 78 offensive tackles)?

What happens if Colombo continues to struggle against pass rushers with speed, which contributed to his release from the Cowboys?

Colombo allowed seven sacks, 11 quarterback hits and 40 quarterback pressures in 2010. By comparison Carey (rated No. 25 by PFF) allowed four sacks, three quarterback hits and 23 quarterback pressures in the 12 games he played last season before a knee injury sidelined him.

Moving Carey to right guard MIGHT strengthen the overall line, but if Colombo doesn’t meet Sparano’s expectations the Dolphins might be asking Carey to move back to his old spot.

After watching Colombo struggle with Cameron Wake for a week (yes, I’m aware Wake’s a Pro Bowler, and an elite player) I’ve concluded it’s a good thing Carey is still around.

The exhibition season should be telling, but I’m not confident the Dolphins’ offensive line issues have been fixed.

Delusion seems to be the operative phenomenon in D.C. right now, what with coach Mike Shanahan staking his reputation on quarterbacks Rex Grossman and John Beck, and with offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan claiming that he “stood on the table” to get the Texans to use the 10th overall pick on Beck in 2007.

Grossman apparently has caught the bug, as evidenced by his August 9 interview with CSNWashington.com.

“We’re fine being the sleepers right now,” Grossman said, before doing his best to wake everyone up to the Redskins. Or to provide comic relief to the rest of the league.

“We’re just waiting in the wings ready to take over the NFC East. Nobody’s talking about us, it’s right where we wanna be. You look at us from top to bottom out here, there’s a bunch of great players. And we don’t need people saying we’re the best right now. But when it’s all said and done, I really feel like this team’s gonna win the [NFC] East.”

Most NFL fans, including plenty of Redskins fans, would respond to that statement with this question: In what year?
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Ok, so Grossman is the Markeyh of the Deadskins.
But how about Kyle Shanahan claiming he wanted to select Beck @ 10th overall when he was with the Texans in 07.
Wow, thank God the Texans didn’t pull the trigger and Cam got him instead.

Well, I think you may be on to something there. I’m not saying you identified him correctly, nor that he indisputedly blogs as more than one person, but he certainly seems to have more than one side to his persionality? lol

PS Not me messin being Dr. Tosh, just noticed this reading through the comments.

Surfin’Bird says:
August 8, 2011 at 1:01 pm
So they don’t seem to want to update Daboll’s pic either! Everything i see of him is in total Browns gear(with big beer gut stretching the capabilities of the jersey)
So it’s “fat” Tony pix, “Browns” Daboll pix, made up “grandpa” Favre posts, Diaz’s “we need Tebow” crap…..What the fuhk is going on?? This is extremely irritating.

Reply NaplesFan says:
August 8, 2011 at 1:07 pm
It’s an obvious smear campaign, but why? What is the objective of the agenda?

Dr.Tosh says:
August 8, 2011 at 1:13 pm
My question also…And so much of it coming from the “local” media!
Most of the national headlines are being created by the “home town” media.
Darlington, Diaz, Armando, Dave Hyde and even(blasphemy) Omar(and hand puppet AC)all should be ashamed.

Nah mon…Tirin ah all dis speculation mon. Only ting i will say is dis: If yah looked back at dat string, yah might would find ah follow-up postin from me dat me had ‘cut-and-pasted’ a comment from him Surfin’Bird(like all dah mob do), but i hit “submit” by mistake befah respondin’..
When him ahn here next time, ask em boat it.

MF13, I’m with ya and have been beating the same drum on Davis & Waters too. But sumtin up it seems brah. Why neither of those cats have landed anywhere yet???
Maybe they both are demanding big coin since it is probably their last rodeo.
At least Davis was quoted as saying he’s very healthy, down under 350lbs, & in his best shape in a longtime. Also that he wants to prove the Cowgirls wrong.
That made me really want to give him a shot. He has been really good late into his career.
Shocked the Jints haven’t signed him after dumping Seubert & O’Hara. Let Davis get some payback on Dallas 2 times a year.

… this just in… Dan Henning has claimed credit for the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, planting it where it would be found in 1799. He also reveals that Imhotep is his biological father… more on this and other stories on the national news at 6:30PM…

You know how he discovered it? It was implementing his first Max-protect, two receiver package. Both receivers were trying to “spread” the field and he went to show them how they had to run patterns that ended in the same area – and as he walked them through it wala – at the end of the route was the Rosetta Stone… True story!!!

10. An orange cone
9. A Bob’s Barricade
8. A cardboard cutout of Colombo
7. A turnstyle
6. A Joe Robbie Stadium parking attendant
5. An overweight night security guard
4. His grandmother and her walker
3. A cardboard cutout of Vern Carey
2. Vacant air
1. Any member of Ted Ginn’s family

I AM FRANK KEARS: you left one off of your list on what better options there are for columbo……CLORIS LEACHMEN!!

seriously though, these are the kind of moves that baffle me with tony. so many better options and he brings in the WORST of the bunch? being loyal and nice is one thing [see wanny] but it can get you fired in a hurry. this is buisness and you have to put the right pieces in place.

we have several young talents on this team this year that i want to see DEVELOPE, and keeping dead and bloated carcases like columbo cost one of these a roster spot. one i fear will be the return specialist we brought in, PHILIP LIVAS. we have needed a real deal kr/pr for YEARS and he just may be it, but, he cant show it if he isnt here. and i can see it, tony doing his best wanny out the side of the mouth speak…. “yeah, well, we liked livas but in the end we wanted extra o-line and marc has done a lot of good things in the past and were real familiar with him”", etc…….. while livas makes the pro bowl on another team.

AND I THINK folks are forgetting the fact that INCOGNITO was graded out second on the line after jake and he also played center real well at seasons end so he is going to be one of the guards. tony is doing his worthless shuffling and wont set the line untill 3 days before the opener giving them no time to become a unit and columbo will cost one of our young talents like livas or gates or the te breckett [sp?] just to watch him cost us 3 games before tony realizes his monumental mistake.

I often wonder what is Sparano thinking and why is Ireland letting him have his way in regards to OL ? Colombo clearly has lost a step. The mans 32 yr old, so it stands to reason he’s lost a step or two. But Sparano doesnt seem to have any fore sight conerning aging players. Bryant McKinnie is the 16th rated rt tackle free agent,,,,,thats free agent. Why isnt Ireland beating down McKinnes door ? Ole “fist pumper” has lost a step or two or three himself.

Omar, there must be a mistake, those stats for Carey MUST BE SINGLE GAME STATS!!!! , yes, 23 qb pressures and 4 sacks per game allowed by Carey seems just about right….the only other possibility is that Carey is slipping some change ( $ ) to the people doing the stat tabluating

There are some interesting deadlines in this article but I don’t know if I see all of them middle to heart. There may be some validity but I’ll take maintain opinion until I look into it further. Good article , thanks and we wish extra! Added to FeedBurner as properly

OMAR KELLY was unsuccessful at achieving his childhood dream to become a super hero, so he figured he'd do the next best thing and become a journalist who fights against injustice, and searches for truth. After being bored to death reporting news and covering politics, he switched to sports.
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IZZY GOULD joined the Sun Sentinel in Feb. 2012 as a Senior Sports Reporter on the Miami Dolphins beat. He came to South Florida fresh off covering the University of Alabama football program, including its 2011 national championship team. More